Yes you heard us right; Microsoft is revamping the MSN brand by introducing a range of Bing-powered apps and a brand new home page. According to the latest reports, the news, sports, travel, weather and finance apps which currently go under the name of Bing will be re-branded as MSN in the near future.

Microsoft is also planning to release iOS and Android versions of each app – a move that is said to be the latest in the company’s vision to create cross-platform apps and cloud-based services.

Instead of offering original content through MSN, the revamped site will instead become a hub for the best news content on the web from the likes of The Guardian and CNN. Microsoft believes that the new joint venture will be successful, as they will be able to provide media outlets with SEO benefits, direct back links and new revenue streams.

The news that MSN is back may come as a surprise to many. If you remember, Microsoft put MSN on the side line a few years ago, in an attempt to focus on Windows Live and Bing. However the company states that the MSN brand is still going strong with 425 million people using the site each onth.

Visit http://preview.msn.com today and you will find a brand new homepage (in preview mode) that features a number of different cloud based services offered by the software maker, as well as access to the apps. Microsoft’s Bing apps are currently available on Windows 8 and Windows Phone, but they will soon be synced across MSN.com and offered as cross-platform MSN apps.